Attention all ATS users......

I have been reading ATS for a while now, a few years to be exact. First as a guest, then as a member, lately as a contributory member. Yesterday I
made comments on the UK riots (being a resident I felt uber qualified to comment and expect that my views would be listened to and accepted), and got
into what could have been a nasty argument with a US resident over the nature of said riots.

Thas was wrong. I apologise.

Unfortunately, I see this happening all too often on ATS. Members have a good, valid opinion, get shot down by a different valid opinion, bickering
ensues, thread is ruined and we have 30 pages of anger and distrust, ego and pettiness.

Why? Well, mainly because of our intrinsic nature, our ego, which insists that "I" must have the correct opinion. No matter what anyone else says.
Take my comments yesterday, insisting that it was not revolution in the UK, but a criminal spree by idiots. Another ATS'er commented (a little
harshly) that it was a revolution of sorts. I was actually angry! How dare this user comment on my opinion! I am here! I am RIGHT!

How sad.

So, I implore you, fellow ATS'ers, fellow theorists, fellow commentators of society, please, please, please, do not get angry with each other. Debate
is great, if it is in the correct spirit and frame of mind, when anger creeps in (and we have all been there) it all goes belly up. Lets renew our
self respect, and our respect for others by using restraint and tact, by being respectful that no matter how "right" we feel we are, we could be
wrong. Be open. If you have a particular bug bear, for example Elenin, or prophecy, or NWO or crop circles (or ANYTHING!), please don't enter that
forum or thread! For example, if you are certain that Elenin is not going to pose any danger, whatsoever, to either our planet or our conciousness,
don't go into thread just to flame everyone in it. Why? Well:

1) It is rude to others and their opinions, got an opinion? Start your own counter thread.
2) It puts people off commenting, the more input we get, the better for us all
3) You are not going to be 100% right everytime
4) You are ruining someone elses day, making them unhappy. Show some compassion!

"OMG! Not another Elenin, fear monger thread! *snip*ing hell man, this is tedious, what has ATS become?"

This is counter productive for all of us.

Basically, what I'm trying to say to everyone is, be nice to each other. Show each other respect. We are a unique, vibrant and eclectic society here
at ATS, lets keep it a happy one. Hell, we need at least one happy society in our lives!

Peace,

CC

So, you've signed up to tell all users on this site how they should post. Well, I'm sorry but I will continue to let "Elenin is a Brown Dwarf!"
believers and the like know how out of touch with reality that belief is. People should be let known when their ideas and beliefs about something like
that are dead wrong and can be proven so. Or do you think that the Earth should sill be considered flat? In what way can spreading the truth be
counter-productive? While it is true that people are entitled to their opinions, and rightly so, they are sending these opinions out into ATS where
they are subject to scrutiny. You should have known this before signing up.

The idea of starting a thread, at least in my mind, is to talk about a topic and debate it if necessary. I've had debates on topics myself and others
have started and have come to new understandings of things. If you really cannot stand another person's opinion then maybe you should just ignore
their posts.

But, silly me I just realized that I am giving you my opinion which differs from yours. I guess I should have started a new thread.

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